


Before The Dawn

by Choi Eimi (Siyah_Kedi)



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of SuLay, Mentions of SuYeol, flangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-30
Updated: 2012-10-30
Packaged: 2017-11-17 09:23:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/550053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siyah_Kedi/pseuds/Choi%20Eimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baekhyun's been in love with Chanyeol since forever.  On the night he decides to confess, everything goes to hell.  A spur-of-the-moment decision ends with him missing, and all of Exo bands together to find out where he went before it's too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baekhyun

**Author's Note:**

> Yay for Hurricane Sandy? With nothing to do all weekend, I wrote this. It was originally intended to be a one/two-shot and the characters grabbed for the plot and ran with it.
> 
> Some OOC; this is my first Exo fanfic.

“So this is it! I think I’m finally going to tell him.”

 

Baekhyun bounced up and down in the booth, barely able to contain himself. Sehun looked encouraging – or as encouraging as his expressions ever got when Luhan wasn’t in the immediate vicinity – and offered a tiny smile. 

 

“It’s about time. You two have only been dancing around each other for what, two years now?”

 

“A year and nine months,” Baekhyun corrected. He couldn’t sit still, couldn’t decide what he wanted to do. He fidgeted with the napkin dispenser on the table, rearranged the salt and pepper shakers, started to get up but sat back down. He pulled the straw out of his smoothie, swirled it around and pushed it back to the bottom of the glass. Sehun watched him with an increasingly widening grin. 

 

“So what are you going to do? Just march up to him and announce, ‘Chanyeol, I love you’?” 

 

Baekhyun’s face drained of colour so quickly that Sehun was momentarily afraid his hyung was about to faint. “I don’t even know,” Baekhyun whispered, suddenly dejected. He slumped in the seat and stabbed at the bottom of the glass with his straw again. “I just… It’s time, you know? I’m tired of him not knowing. I’m pretty sure … I mean, you said – everyone said – he probably at least _likes_ me, right?”

 

Sehun patted his hand condescendingly. “At the very least,” he said. “You’ve only been best friends and room-mates for how long?”

 

Baekhyun responded by smacking his arm lightly. “You know what I meant,” he said, scowling. Sehun gave a quiet chuckle. 

 

“I know what you meant. I’m pretty sure he _at least_ likes you. Why else would he put up with you?”

 

“Why do you?”

 

Before Sehun could reply, a lilting voice chimed from behind him. “ _Nihao!_ ”

 

Sehun’s face lit up in a dazzling smile, and he threw himself out of the booth at the new addition. “Luhan! You’re here!” 

 

Baekhyun turned and watched with barely-concealed envy as Sehun threw his arms around the shorter idol, beaming. Luhan laughed and hugged him back, asking about how he’d been. When they settled once again at the table and Luhan had ordered a drink, Baekhyun found he couldn’t watch them anymore. The easy camaraderie – despite Sehun’s overwhelming love for his Chinese hyung that would have crippled Baekhyun in similar circumstances – was harsh to watch when his own future was so uncertain. 

 

“I’m going to go,” Baekhyun said. Sehun tore his eyes away from Luhan with a nearly audible effort. 

 

“Wait,” he said. “Are you going right now?” He pushed at Luhan to be let out of the booth, and Luhan obligingly stood. 

 

“Yes…?” Baekhyun said, suddenly uncertain. “Why?” 

 

“Come to the restroom with me. You have to look better than this.” 

 

Feeling like an adolescent girl, Baekhyun trailed bemusedly behind Sehun as the maknae lead him towards the toilets. Like a clucking mother hen, Sehun arranged his hair so that it fell just into his eyes and withdrew an eyeliner pencil from one of his pockets. Long used to having himself fussed over for stage and television appearances, Baekhyun submitted patiently while Sehun ‘made him look better.’ 

 

“I’m so jealous,” Sehun said wistfully, straightening the fall of Baekhyun’s jacket. This startled the singer out of the daze he’d fallen into, and he blinked, suddenly focusing on the maknae.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Sehun said, alarming Baekhyun. “But you’re just so _pretty._ You and Luhan and Kris and Lay, you’re just so…” He made a frustrated gesture with his hands, unable to find the words he wanted. 

 

“I’m so glad I rank with the Chinese members,” Baekhyun said, earning a chuckle from Sehun. It was no secret that Sehun idolized Exo-M, mostly because of Luhan. Truthfully, Baekhyun thought to himself, he was the most envious of Luhan. Sehun adored him without shame; it was pure, unadulterated love and the elder Exo members were quietly taking bets on how long Luhan would hold out against him. From what Baekhyun had seen, if they weren’t already in an active relationship, it wouldn’t be long. It was the sort of thing he wanted with Chanyeol. Easy and friendly and loving.

 

 _Not that friendship’s not good,_ he thought, turning to look in the mirror. With his bottom lip caught in his teeth and the wistful smile brought on by thoughts of Chanyeol, and the fear and tension in his eyes over the coming confrontation – he looked all of about thirteen years old. He grimaced. A _hot_ thirteen year old; Sehun was no slouch with the makeup. He firmed up his expression, and met Sehun’s eyes in the reflection. 

 

“You look really good,” Sehun said. “Kick his feet out from under him, tell him how you feel, and kiss him,” Sehun said, and added, “Fighting!” He winked. “Don’t give him a chance to run away. You know how he hates discussing his feelings.” Sehun held the door open and gestured for Baekhyun to go through. He went back to the table to leave a tip for the waitress who’d been serving them, and earned a whistle from Luhan. 

 

“Damn, Baekhyun. Knock him dead! Good luck!” 

 

Feeling suddenly shy, Baekhyun waved goodbye. He was pretty sure Luhan didn’t see it, as Sehun had reached the table by then and the diminutive Chinese singer only had eyes for the maknae. Baekhyun took a deep breath to steady his nerves and left the café.


	2. Baekhyun 2

On the walk back to their shared dorms, Baekhyun passed a store that Chanyeol loved. Figuring that a little buttering-up wouldn’t go amiss, he ducked inside. 

 

Just a few minutes later he emerged victorious, with a bag containing a ball cap with a bomb on it – something he knew Chanyeol would like, especially given the unspoken jibe that he was explosive – and some of Chanyeol’s favourite candy bars, the ones he very rarely bought for himself because he couldn’t condone the waste of money. He also bought special soda drinks imported from Japan, and for himself, a little container of ice cream. It was like a – well, not a _date,_ he told himself, romantic-type dates like that were for _girls_ \- but it could be a special, romantic-type night. His final purchase was a movie Chanyeol had been waiting for, some action flick with a lot of cars. 

 

 _Not a date,_ he reminded himself, and let himself into the dorm. Many doors were open, and he could hear Kris and Tao arguing with Kai and D.O. over the pronunciation of a certain word. Given that the argument was taking place at top volume, he couldn’t even decipher which word they were debating, but it was apparently heated. Lay, slumped in the hallway against the wall, raised his head and half-heartedly lifted a hand in greeting when he saw Baekhyun approaching.

 

“They’ve been at this for nearly an hour,” Lay whispered. “If you value your life or your hearing, don’t go anywhere near them.” He gestured at the room Tao and Kris were sharing. Chen appeared in the door to one of the rooms and waved Lay in. Lay went hurriedly, flashing an apologetic look at Baekhyun, and vanished into Xiumin and Chen’s room. It had been a while since they’d all lived together, and Baekhyun paused a moment to consider the rooming arrangements. He was pretty sure it had been different at first, and vacantly wondered if anything was going on between Kris and Tao, that suddenly they were shaking up the dorm assignments. He _had_ heard Kris say Tao’s aegyo worked on him, and resolved to get the whole story from one of them before they left, right after he found out why they were there in the first place. 

 

But first on the agenda was Chanyeol. Before he started meddling in anyone else’s love-lives, he told himself, he needed to get his own straightened out. Knowing he looked good, had brought gifts Chanyeol would like, and was a brave, strong, courageous person, he took a deep breath and opened the door, a friendly grin on his face.

 

The sight that greeted him froze him in place, the smile slipping away as hope gave way to shock, and then to a black despair. Behind him, the door swung shut on its own. The bag slipped from nerveless fingers and hit the floor with a muffled _thud,_ and glass shattered. Baekhyun was totally unaware of everything. 

 

The couch in the sitting room was positioned at an angle to the door, so that Baekhyun got a clear-eyed view of everything. Chanyeol was perched on Suho’s lap, his knees hugging the leader’s hips. He had both hands tangled in Suho’s hair. These things hit Baekhyun in flashes, as though his brain couldn’t process the whole thing at once. He took in Suho’s fingers, one hand resting on Chanyeol’s hip, the other stroking the back of his neck, where Baekhyun knew from accidental experience that Chanyeol was sensitive. 

 

Their lips were locked together and they appeared to be trying to locate one another’s tonsils with their tongues. 

 

Someone made a noise. Whether it was one of the two on the couch, or Baekhyun himself, he didn’t know.

 

Didn’t care. 

 

Blind and shaking, he took a step back. Then another. He thumped into the door, turned, and wrenched it open with enough force that it banged into the wall. Then he was running. 

 

He crashed into someone, earning a pained shout that he paid no attention to. The only thing in his mind was the sight of Suho and Chanyeol kissing so _passionately_ right there in the dorm, and his own overwhelming need to be as far away from it as possible. The sun was setting over the city, and snow was just beginning to drift down heavily to mix with the older snow still on the sidewalk. 

 

Baekhyun ran on.


	3. Chanyeol

Suho approached him first. “I’ve been hearing about this thing they’re calling ‘fanservice,” he said. “From the manager-hyung. It’s a good way to get attention and gain popularity.”

 

Chanyeol looked up in surprise. Suho was shuffling his feet, not quite looking him in the eyes. “Like how the girls go crazy whenever Tao and Kris so much as look at each other?”

 

“Yeah. And you know about Sehun and Luhan – they call it _HunHan._ ”

 

He didn’t like where this was going. “And your point?”

 

“Weneedtopractice,” Suho blurted out in a rush. Chanyeol scowled.

 

“Now say it so I can understand what you’re getting at,” he demanded. Suho flushed. 

 

“We need. To. Practice. Fanservice. So we can do it. Officially. Like on stage. Taemin and Jonghyun in SHINee nearly set the stage on fire during one performance. The manager-hyung wants to see something like that. From us.” He coughed, and still refused to look directly in Chanyeol’s direction. “You’re not my first choice,” he added, and then hid his face. “That came out wrong.”

 

Catching on, Chanyeol leaned back against the sofa and tucked his hands behind his head, the picture of amused benevolence. “Neither are you,” he said. “But I guess we’ve got to get comfortable with each other. Just in case, right?” 

 

That took Suho off guard. The poor leader finally locked eyes with Chanyeol, a shocked expression on his face. “What do you mean by that?” 

 

“In case we’re called to do anything with each other, it won’t be awkward. That’s what you mean, right?” 

 

“Yes, but that’s not what I was asking. Who’s your – this is really uncomfortable for me,” he broke off. “It’s none of my business. Can I just… I don’t know, kiss you or something?” 

 

“Baekhyun.” 

 

“What?”

 

Nearly unable to contain himself, Chanyeol patted the sofa beside him. Suho obediently sat, perching on the very edge, as far from Chanyeol as he could get while still being _on_ the couch. “You want to know who my first choice is, right? It’s Baekhyun.” He eyed the leader speculatively. “You can’t tell me you’ve never noticed.” 

 

“I’ve never noticed,” Suho said, amazed. “I know you guys are best friends, but. Does it go any further than that?”

 

This time Chanyeol averted his gaze. “He doesn’t know. I think he’s straight anyway. He’s always eyeing girls whenever we go out. He’s tried setting me up with a few of his female friends before, but it’s never worked out. For pretty obvious reasons, I thought, but he never caught on.”

 

“Yeah, I don’t think Yixing knows I exist.” 

 

Chanyeol whipped his head around to stare at Suho, who immediately realised what he’d let slip and covered his mouth. “Lay?”

 

Mute, Suho nodded. 

 

“ _Lay,_ ” Chanyeol repeated, trying to get his head around it. “Zhang Yixing.”

 

“I know his name,” Suho growled. 

 

“I just never expected – I mean, don’t take this harsh, but I don’t think he knows you exist, either.” 

 

Suho groaned and threw his head back against the couch. “Thanks so much for your vote of confidence.”

 

“So you want to practice kissing me,” Chanyeol said, sensing that now wasn’t the time to pursue _that_ particular nugget of conversation. “Okay. I don’t mind. We can pretend we’re not kissing each other.”

 

Suho turned a patently disbelieving stare on him. “What are you even saying?”

 

“I’m saying I’m going to pretend you’re Baekhyun. Or Luhan is Baekhyun. Or Kris, or Tao, or Kai, or anyone else they make me do this with, unless it actually _is_ him…” He trailed off, lost in a sudden daydream. Suho snapped his fingers, bringing Chanyeol back out of it, scowling. “So you pretend I’m Lay, we’ll see if we’re not totally disgusted by it, and then next time we’re on stage – especially together, you can stand next to Lay, and then you grab ahold of him and kiss him until he forgets his name.” 

 

“Take your own advice,” Suho suggested hotly. “And I will.” 

 

“Okay.”

 

“Okay.” 

 

“So.”

 

“Okay, so. Um. I’m not sure if…I mean, you’re so much taller,” he said lamely. Chanyeol saw the problem immediately, and a wicked grin lit up his face. 

 

“Easily solved. Shove over a little bit.” He tugged on Suho’s sleeve until the older boy was sitting over the crease between two cushions. Trying not to think too hard about the fact that he was about to kiss another boy who was _not_ Baekhyun – the only boy he’d ever even considered kissing before – he settled himself across Suho’s lap, straddling his thighs. “Am I too heavy?” 

 

“no,” Suho exhaled. “Lay,” he said, uncertainly. Then suddenly, he smiled. “It’s totally easy.”

 

“This is totally creepy. I don’t care if you call me Lay if you don’t mind me calling you Baekhyun, but,” he was now picturing Lay and Baekhyun making out, which wasn’t doing anything for his state of mind. “There has to be an easier way to do this.” Seizing the back of Suho’s head, he shifted until he was comfortable and initiated the kiss. Suho was hesitant at first, laying his hands on Chanyeol’s shoulders. It was a boring, closed-mouth kiss. 

 

 _Imagine it’s Baekhyun,_ his brain supplied. What would he do if he had Baekhyun here, under him, kissing awkwardly?

 

His tongue flicked out, coaxing the other’s mouth open. The kiss deepened. Suho shifted his hands, one trailing down Chanyeol’s side to his hip, the other stroking the over-sensitive skin of his neck. Chanyeol shuddered, remembering the time Baekhyun had discovered it. The feeling of Baekhyun’s long, slender, graceful fingers stroking his neck had given him an erection he’d had to excuse himself immediately to take care of. Although he tried to pretend it was Baekhyun beneath him now, the feeling of the body and fingers and face and hair and basically _everything_ was just too different. 

 

It wasn’t disgusting, however. It just wasn’t very exciting. 

 

He was so caught up in his own fantasies – the day he finally managed to get Baekhyun under him, and kiss him like this – that he didn’t even hear the door open. The series of muffled thuds went right past him. Even the door slamming sounded far away, and since he’d already known Tao, Kris, Kai and D.O. were arguing, he brushed it off without even registering it.

 

The only thing that actually made it through was a high-pitched shriek. “Oh my _god!_ What – what – what – ?”

 

Then he broke away and looked up into the twin pairs of shocked eyes belonging to Luhan and Sehun, evidently back from their date. Then he remembered that Sehun had taken Baekhyun out, and Luhan had gone off to surprise them when Exo-M arrived unexpectedly. 

 

_So where was Baekhyun?_


	4. Sehun

Sehun felt like he was floating ten feet off the ground. Exo-M was in Korea for the foreseeable future, Luhan was with him once again – he finally felt complete, like the missing half of himself had finally returned – Baekhyun was going to confess his feelings for Chanyeol – and therefore finally stop taking Sehun out on mock-dates to whine about him – and life was pretty much perfect. 

 

As he and Luhan were walking back towards the dorms, he noticed that the stars were hidden behind unusually thick clouds. “Look, Luhan, I wonder if it’s going to snow again?” Unable to contain his excitement, he seized Luhan’s hand and swung him around. Luhan laughed, allowing himself to be spun. 

 

“You’re just like a little kid, Sehun-ah,” he said, and refused to relinquish his grip on Sehun’s fingers when they were done turning. Feeling like he might start glowing with the happiness welling up inside, he pulled ahead and opened the door, gesturing for Luhan to enter first. Practically dancing, Luhan turned and spun, pulling Sehun in after him. In the back of his mind, Sehun knew – he just _knew_ \- that Luhan was as happy as he was, and everything was multiplied exponentially. He wanted to laugh for sheer joy. 

 

In matched step, they practically ran up the stairs to the second floor of the dorm building where their rooms were located and that was when everything fell apart. 

 

They heard the crashing and breaking of glass first, and since Chen had texted a warning ahead about the argument, their first thought was that something had gone horribly wrong between Kai, D.O., Tao and Kris. But when the door opened, no one was hurt and everything was in one piece. In fact, Kai had heard the noises even over the sound of the radio and their ongoing debate, and was coming to investigate when Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s door flew open and expelled Baekhyun. 

 

Sehun had time to see a wild expression on his face before the older singer crashed through them, shoving him away and into the wall before practically flying down the stairs. Luhan cried out in pain as he hit the far wall – Baekhyun had pushed them really hard, Sehun realised, and then on the heels of that thought was the knowledge that something had gone terribly wrong with Chanyeol. Stopping only long enough to make sure Luhan was unharmed, he pushed his way into the other dorm and saw what had so upset Baekhyun. 

 

Beside him, Luhan let out a girly-sounding scream. Kai was right behind them.

 

“Oh my god! What – what – what - ?” Temporarily bereft of words, Kai stared even as his mouth continued to move silently. Chanyeol looked up, saw them, and then Suho dumped him onto the floor, practically leaping over the back of the couch in his haste to put distance between them.

 

“This isn’t what it looks like!” he shouted hysterically, flinging one arm out to point at Chanyeol. 

 

Next to Sehun, Luhan was trembling. One look at his face told Sehun that his crush was working himself up into a furious rage. They’d both been so supportive of Baekhyun and his quest to win over Chanyeol, who had clearly not been interested. The only question now was who he’d blow up at. 

 

“Someone better tell me what the hell is going on in here _right now!_ ” Luhan shouted, a tiny, quivering ball of white-hot fury. 

 

 _Oh, everyone,_ Sehun thought, answering his own question. “Lu, calm down,” he said, trying to think logically. He was pretty sure Suho liked someone in Exo-M – he was always talking about them, looking at them, and perked up whenever someone mentioned them, or China. But Chanyeol was a surprise. This whole situation seemed out of control. 

 

“I cannot calm down!” Luhan broke into a stream of invectives in Chinese, too quickly for Sehun’s beginner level understanding of Mandarin to follow. The torrent brought the rest of the members out of the other rooms, and Sehun was vaguely aware of the other seven crowding around behind him. 

 

Kris stepped into the room and kicked something that tinkled and rustled, drawing everyone’s attention down, including Luhan, who settled for glaring silently. It was a bag of – stuff. Wet stuff, Sehun realised when Kris picked it up and fluid immediately poured out. 

 

“There’s glass in this,” Kris said. “Luhan! Take this into the kitchenette and sort it out, please. Sehun, go with him.”

 

Looking like he was about to refuse, Luhan opened his mouth. Kris narrowed his eyes, going into Super-Leader mode, and Luhan snatched the bag, holding it out in front of him to avoid whatever was still dripping out. Sehun followed after him, and heard Kris continue to give out instructions – one time even barking an order at Chanyeol and Suho not to move. 

 

“It’s so nice to have a man around the house,” Sehun joked, but it fell flat. Luhan dumped the soaking bag into the sink and whirled around, practically vibrating with unreleased energy. 

 

“How could they? How could _he?!_ Doesn’t he know how Baekhyun felt? Did you see his face? This is going to completely destroy him! He must have seen them, and they didn’t even care!” 

 

With Luhan looking like he was going to march right back into the sitting room and do murder, Sehun planted himself across the doorway with arms and legs spread to prevent Luhan from worming past him. “They might not have realised that he was there,” he said. On the inside, he was working up to being just as outraged as Luhan, but the more immediate crisis was balancing it out. Calming Luhan down before he hurt anyone – and thanking every god above and below that it wasn’t Tao who was in a fire-spitting fury, since the only one who had _any_ hope of stopping him was Kris, and even that was negligible – was his immediately priority. Baekhyun wouldn’t have gone far. It was dark, and snowing, and he knew he had supportive friends here. If he did go far, it wouldn’t be long before he came back, and then Sehun could work on getting him drunk. Luhan would buy the alcohol, he had no doubts.

 

But not if Luhan was in jail for murder and/or assault. With everything fully justified to himself, he made sure there was nothing sharp within reach, stepped out of the doorway and enveloped Luhan in a hug. For a long moment, Luhan simply stood within the circle of his arms, his hands curled into fists at his side. After a while, he relaxed slightly and returned the hug. 

 

“I’m sorry. I just can’t believe – I thought so much better of Chanyeol than that!” 

 

“I know,” Sehun said. “I did too. And so did Baekhyun. Find out what’s in that bag so we can get rid of the glass,” he added.


	5. Luhan

Mainly through correspondence and video chats with Sehun, Luhan knew more about Exo-K’s interrelationships than anyone else in Exo-M. He knew that Jongin and Kyungsoo were dancing around the issue like kindergarteners, staring at one another constantly, each unable to take their eyes away from the other when there was nothing else to look at. He knew they showed off for each other, trying to be impressive. He was aware – or so he’d _thought_ \- that Suho had a burgeoning crush on Lay. The fact that Sehun was in love with him was no secret, though the maknae had never outright confessed to him. Truthfully, he was glad about that; he liked Sehun, probably more than a little, but he wasn’t sure how he would handle an actual confession of feelings to his face. He was happy with their relationship as it was, and didn’t want to hurry Sehun into anything rash. He seemed so young at just eighteen that Luhan felt the four-year gap in their ages to be oceans wide sometimes. 

 

And he knew, probably better than anyone – even Sehun – how much Baekhyun loved Chanyeol. They were perfectly suited to each other in every way. He’d been overjoyed when Sehun told him Baekhyun was planning to confess his feelings. And now – this. 

 

Baekhyun was outside somewhere, broken-hearted and alone. Suho and Chanyeol, who’d so carelessly done immense damage to not only their friend but also the team dynamic, were getting a stern dressing-down from Kris, but it wasn’t enough. Luhan wanted to take Tao’s wushu stick and beat the hell out of both of them for not warning anyone, or at least – at _least!_ – taking it into the bedroom, where such things belonged. For them to be on the couch in Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s dorm room was unacceptable. But Kris had ordered him out of the room, taking charge of Exo as a whole, since Suho was implicated in the recent problems, and now Sehun was barring the door. The kitchenette was barely large enough for one person, and Sehun wasn’t exactly small. Pinned between Sehun’s unyielding warmth and the sink, Luhan tried to get a grip on himself. Then Sehun was hugging him, and suddenly the rage evaporated. He just couldn’t be mad when Sehun was being so… so cute. Not even on Baekhyun’s behalf. 

 

“Find out what’s in the bag,” Sehun said, and although his words were flat, Luhan knew the maknae well enough to know that there was an immense well of curiousity behind the demand. Baekhyun had only found out just before they came in, and they’d lingered longer at the café than he had. Clearly, the bag was something he’d gone out of his way to collect, and then dropped upon discovering Chanyeol and Suho.

 

Sehun released him to allow him to carefully dump the contents of the bag into the sink, and Luhan’s rage returned as though Sehun had been the barrier keeping it contained. With short, evenly controlled movements, he upended the bag. Shards of glass tinkled out, followed by a broken bottle of ramuné. An intact bottle, some candy, a movie, and a ramuné-coated hat dropped into the sink. 

 

Gifts, clearly meant for Chanyeol. Luhan’s hands tightened into fists again. 

 

“Murder is illegal,” Sehun whispered, wrapping his arms around Luhan’s waist and tucking his chin into Luhan’s shoulder. 

 

“And think of the trouble we’d have in replacing him,” Xiumin said from the entrance to the tiny kitchenette. Sehun jumped slightly – Luhan guessed he was only aware of it because of how close they were standing – and released the older boy with a faintly embarrassed air. “What was it? Kris has Lay and Chen on clean-up duty in the sitting room, but it’s not coming out. I think it’s going to leave a stain on the carpet.” 

 

“What was going on with – the other two?” 

 

Sehun couldn’t even bring himself to name them, and Luhan realised that he was probably just as angry as Luhan himself. He was just being more mature about concealing it. He took a deep breath and forcibly uncurled his fists. Sehun was _not_ going to out-mature him over this situation. Now that his initial vitriol had been expended, he found it was becoming easier to concentrate. 

 

Xiumin shrugged. “Apparently it was Suho’s idea. The manager-hyungs have finally discovered fan-service, and hinted to Suho that we ought to become – er – _comfortable_ with each other.” From his face, Luhan guessed that he was also having flashbacks to Kris’ Half Hour of Hell, when they’d all spent five minutes with each other. Xiumin eyed Sehun’s arm, still looped around Luhan’s waist. Sehun stared flatly back at him, refusing to budge. “What was in the bag?” Xiumin asked, deciding that discretion was the better part of valour and moving on. 

 

“Some things from Baekhyun to Chanyeol. Snacks, and some special drinks.” 

 

“Oh, so those two were actually toget-” Xiumin cut himself off with a cough. 

 

“No.” Sehun said coldly, and Luhan suddenly found their positions reversed. He could almost _sense_ Sehun’s patience disintegrating. Some long-forgotten sense of self-preservation kicked in and Xiumin beat a hasty retreat from the kitchenette, followed more slowly by Luhan and Sehun. Kris was still going up one side of Chanyeol and Suho and back down the other. 

 

“Privacy!” he barked. Sehun jumped again. “Consideration! Do either of these words mean anything to the two of you!? Would it have killed you to have gone to the bedroom? Locked the door? _Put a notice up,_ reading, ‘Manager-hyung’s have _lost their goddamn minds,_ do not enter!’?” 

 

Chanyeol flinched. Suho stared into space. Kris paced back and forth, gesturing with both hands and occasionally slipping into English and Mandarin. Luhan knew from experience that Kris only ever veered out of his chosen language when he was supremely upset. Fortunately it hadn’t happened very often – Kris was six feet tall, huge, and _imposing,_ and he only got scarier when he was mad – but he recognised the signs from Exo-M’s early days together. “Now Baekhyun’s missing, and –”

 

“What?” 

 

Kris glared at Chanyeol for the interruption, and then glanced at Tao. Luhan belatedly noticed Tao was on the phone, muttering quietly to himself in Chinese. When Tao noticed the attention he was getting, he shook his head and lowered the handset. 

 

“Not yet. He’s still not picking up.” He returned his attention to the phone, obviously hanging up and redialing. Kai poked his head into the room.

 

“He’s definitely not in the building, or anywhere nearby,” he reported. Kris nodded, then turned his attention back to Suho and Chanyeol. 

 

A tiny portion in the back of Luhan’s mind marveled at Kris’ organizational skills. He was truly an exceptional leader. Everything had been thought of. In truth, however, what Suho and Chanyeol were guilty of wasn’t so much making out – a drunken dare in Thailand had resulted in Luhan’s poor virgin eyes being subjected to Tao kissing Chen for ten whole minutes, while Kris stood back and tried to hide how he was glaring at them, and the Half Hour of Hell he never wanted to repeat – it was having no respect for the other members, and resulting in Baekhyun literally fleeing the premises. They still didn’t know where he was. 

 

Luhan felt a shiver of unease run up his spine.


	6. Kris

It really, really wasn’t that he was angry at them for kissing. Kris had heard the same directive, and passed it on to the rest of his team as well. And they’d all spent five torturous minutes in as many different combinations as possible – a full half hour when they were all done – getting comfortable with kissing and touching. It was no big deal; he’d really hated it with everyone except Lay, who was an exceptional kisser, and Tao, who set his heart fluttering. In fact, he was pretty sure that it was his suggestion that lead Suho to seek out the members of Exo-K and – well, basically proposition them. But instead of doing it as a group, as Exo-M had done, Suho – embarrassed beyond rational thought by the idea – had approached them singularly. 

 

And Baekhyun – who everyone knew was head-over-heels in love with Chanyeol – hadn’t understood, and walked in on them. 

 

The implications were making Kris’ head hurt. 

 

Now Chanyeol was glaring at him. “What do you mean, Baekhyun’s missing?” 

 

“Has the point of this entire fiasco passed you by _entirely?_ ” Luhan snapped, restrained only by Sehun’s grip on his shoulder. 

 

“He saw us,” Chanyeol said, defensively. Kris’ temples throbbed. “I still don’t…” He paled, and glanced at Suho. “He’s jealous?”

 

“Hurt,” Kris said tersely. 

 

Chanyeol’s face turned white. “He likes Suho,” he said, with such conviction that Kris almost agreed. Luhan let out an unintelligible snarl, and then several things happened at once. 

 

Suho also went pale, and glanced over at the door, his mouth hanging open. “What?”

 

Luhan lunged for Chanyeol and was subsequently tackled to the floor by Sehun and Xiumin, who were obviously intent on preventing bloodshed. Tao’s voice rose above the sudden chaos.

 

“Baekhyun! Where are you!?” 

 

“ _Everyone shut up!_ ” Kris bellowed, and into the sudden silence, Luhan’s heavy breathing was the only thing audible. 

 

“What do you mean, you don’t know? We’re worried about you.” 

 

Kris held out his hand for the phone, and felt his eye twitch when Tao waved him off. 

 

“All of us. Luhan’s ready to kill Chanyeol for you, if that’d make you happy,” Tao said. 

 

“Tao, give me the phone!” Kris whispered. Tao shook his head. 

 

“Okay. You need to at least tell me where you are,” he said into the phone. 

 

“ _Kill me?_ ” Chanyeol whispered. Suho, who was quicker on his feet than Chanyeol at that moment, put it together faster. 

 

“Chan, he likes _you._ ”

 

“Yeah,” Luhan growled breathlessly from the floor. Sehun was practically sitting on him, his knees straddling Luhan’s ribs, and pinning his arms over his head. Xiumin had ahold of his legs. “At least he used to, before you thoughtlessly _broke his heart._ You’re such a jerk, Chanyeol,” he added in Chinese. 

 

Behind them, Tao was continuing. “Find a road. An intersection. We’ll come get you. Baekhyun. Hey, no, listen. You really don’t understand, and you have to come – Baek – Baekhyun! _Baekhyun!_ ” 

 

Kris grabbed Tao by the shoulders and shook him. “What happened! Where is he?” 

 

“He said, ‘river.’ He doesn’t know which way he went, but then he yelled and the phone cut off. I don’t know where he is.” Tao slumped in Kris’ hold, and dropped the phone limply. Chanyeol came around Kris and pushed him. 

 

“What do you mean the phone cut off? Where is he? Someone explain this to me!” 

 

Lay jumped on Chanyeol before Kris could properly get to him, which, with the way Kris was feeling, might have saved lives. Suho remained in the corner, silent. While Lay whispered urgently in Chanyeol’s ear, Kris was thinking. Tao looked like someone had just told him his dog died; dejected and pathetic.

 

“Tao,” Kris said. “You’re coming with me. We’re going to go look for him.” 

 

“We’re coming with you!” 

 

For a moment, Kris thought something was wrong with his hearing, but as Luhan and Sehun crowded in, he realised that they’d simply spoken in tandem, their argument over. “Fine. You guys go right, we’ll go left. Lay, Suho, you go straight. Keep in contact by phone. Kai, Kyungsoo. Can you two man the doors and wait in case he comes back?”

 

They nodded. 

 

“Xiumin and I will go call the managers. Maybe the police, too?”

 

“Keep the police out of it until we know more,” Kris commanded. He felt like a general for a moment, and was divided over the sensation. Part of him enjoyed being in charge, delegating tasks and ordering the others around. The other half of him was struggling with an oncoming migraine because of the hassle. He was also considering the long talk he was going to have with Suho about his leadership skills. And doubling the magnitude of his headache, he realised suddenly that the issue that started everything – the demand for fanservice – was still something that needed to be addressed by all of them as a group. At Kris’ suggestions, Exo-M kept an eye on the internet, and he was fully aware of the fangirls ideas and terms – things like ‘bromance’ and ‘skinship’ that were baffling at first, but when a deeper look was had made striking sense – that the whole group was going to have to get used to. 

 

But first, the search for Baekhyun was on.


	7. Baekhyun 3

With no idea how long he’d been running, or even where he was, Baekhyun gradually slowed to a jog, and then a walk. He was in pretty good shape, as a dancer and all, but overexertion had left him out of breath with a stitch in his side. 

 

In a daze, he wandered, seeing nothing but the vivid memory of Chanyeol wrapped around Suho. Belatedly, he realised that running away was _not_ the most mature reaction, but when he looked around, he didn’t recognise anything. Running had been a purely emotional response. Defeated, he sat down on a bench, peripherally aware that it was a bus station and that he’d have to move before the bus came. That was for later, however. 

 

“It’s okay,” he told himself. “So. So. So Suho and Chan-chanyeol… they’re together. You can deal with this Baekhyun. He’ll still be your friend. He didn’t know how you felt, after all.”

 

He managed to cheer himself up a tiny bit with this realisation. All was not lost – it wasn’t like Chanyeol had cheated on him. Chanyeol was still completely unaware that Baekhyun had anything but platonic feelings for him. And one day, he hoped fervently, the feelings would go back to _being_ platonic. 

 

Feeling stupid, he gradually became aware of how cold he was. His light jacket, warm enough for a ten-minute afternoon walk to the café and back, just wasn’t enough to cut it after dark, in the snow. After a few minutes of rest, he pulled himself back to his feet and began walking back in the direction he’d come from. When everything failed to become familiar, he started to get nervous. 

 

 _So Chanyeol will still enjoy the hat and the movie and stuff. He never has to know, unless someone told him. But if he’s with Suho, why would they tell him?_ Lost in thought, it wasn’t until the horn blared that he realised he was about to walk out in front of an oncoming truck. Baekhyun threw himself back onto the sidewalk and clutched a hand to his chest, trying not to think about how close to death he’d just come. He didn’t want to _kill himself._

 

He considered that, and then shook his head. Definitely not. Chanyeol was someone he was deeply in love with, his best friend, but even the loss of that one-sided love wasn’t enough to make him suicidal. He looked both ways for cars, and then crossed to the other side of the road. He _thought_ it was more familiar; he could almost make out the buildings that surrounded the dorm, across the river. Canal. It was some sort of body of water, and he could see a bridge spanning it in the distance. He didn’t remember crossing a bridge, but then again, he didn’t remember anything until he’d come upon the bus stop and slowed down. 

 

Humming the tune to “Two Moons” it was a long time before he realised that something was singing along with him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and saw Tao was calling. The call cut off before he could answer it, and he was surprised to notice twenty-seven missed calls. All were from Tao. Before he could call back, it began ringing again. This time, Baekhyun picked up.

 

“Hello?” Even to his own ears, his voice sounded flat. A corner of his mind warned him to work on that before he got back to the others. Part of moving on and above all, _not letting Chanyeol know_ would have to include pasting a smile on his face and pretending nothing had changed. 

 

He almost didn’t recognise the voice at first, because he rarely heard Tao raise his. “Baekhyun!” he shouted, so loudly that Baekhyun pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment. Despite the distance, he could still hear Tao’s next question clearly. “Where are you!?”

 

Baekhyun pulled the phone back to his ear, and heard the roaring of several people yelling at once. Kris’ voice rose above them all, crystal clear through the ear-piece despite the distance, yelling at everyone to be quiet. Baekhyun quirked a small grin as he realised Tao must be standing right on top of Kris. _I hope they work out,_ he thought. _Tao really like – really likes him._ His thoughts stuttered and a sharp pain in his chest, right through his heart made him pause before answering. _I’ve heard of a broken heart before, but I never realised it would feel so literal…_

 

“I don’t know,” Baekhyun said out loud, looking around. 

 

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Tao asked, and there was something strange about his voice. “We’re worried about you,” he added.

 

Baekhyun blanched. So everyone knew. As long as Chanyeol didn’t _know_ know, it’d be okay. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Who all’s there with you?” He stopped himself asking about Chanyeol by main force. 

 

“All of us. Luhan’s ready to kill Chanyeol for you, if that’d make you happy.” Tao sounded like he’d be happy to do the favour himself, if Luhan wasn’t good enough. Kris’ voice came through again, crystal clear despite the stage-whisper.

 

“Tao, give me the phone!” 

 

Baekhyun clutched it with both hands. “I don’t want to talk to anyone right now,” he said. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble, it was just… startling. I guess. Um, please don’t let Luhan kill Chanyeol. It’s not his fault.”

 

“Okay. You need to at least tell me where you are.” 

 

“I already told you, I don’t know. Um, how much… I mean, if everyone’s there with you, how much do they … know?”

 

Tao’s voice became soft. “About you and Chanyeol?”

 

“There’s nothing between me and Chanyeol!” Baekhyun insisted. “We’re just friends. There’s nothing…”

 

“There could be,” Tao whispered. 

 

“He was _kissing Suho,_ in case you missed that part,” Baekhyun hissed. The bridge looked no closer now than it did when he’d first seen it, even though he’d been walking steadily. He broke back into a run, less unsteady than before, and slower. 

 

“Yeah, about that. Why don’t you come and talk to Kris when you get back? He can explain everything a lot better. I know you’re lost. Find a road. An intersection. We’ll come get you.”

 

Baekhyun waved his hands as though Tao could see him. “That’s not necessary! Um, I’m by a river. I think I recognise it, but I don’t know which way I went. It was … a little upsetting. When I saw them. I don’t need to talk to anyone about it, and I’d really rather just be alone.”

 

“Baekhyun. Hey, no, listen. You really don’t understand, and you have to come –”

 

That was all he heard, because all of a sudden his foot hit a patch of ice. He slid and skidded, shouting as he lost his balance and tumbled over the hill. Snow hit him full in the face, the phone flew from his fingers and landed with a splash in the canal, and Baekhyun himself followed after it a moment later. He collided with the concrete walkway lining the river-canal-whatever it was – and fire raced up from his wrist into his arm and shoulder – then the water was surrounding him. 

 

 _But I don’t want to die!_ he thought, and struggled against the pain and the current. His head broke the surface, and he realised the bridge was already much closer than it had been. The current was moving swiftly. He struggled to cross it diagonally with only one hand – the left wrist felt broken, he was in so much pain he could barely breathe, and the icy water wasn’t helping – and a thousand years later, he finally made the far side. He’d lost his phone, which was disappointing, but he was still alive. 

 

With all his remaining strength, he pulled himself out of the water and flopped down. Darkness overtook him as shock caught up with his brain.


	8. Lay

Although generally laid back, the entire situation was starting to set Lay’s teeth on edge. With warm jackets and boots on, he and Suho set out directly away from the front doors, calling for Baekhyun every so often. They looked for footprints and checked down alleys, trying to keep an eye on each other as well as their missing bandmate. 

 

After five minutes of relative silence, Suho couldn’t stand it any longer. “I’m really sorry for causing trouble,” he said. “I didn’t know what else to do.” His face twisted up. “It really wasn’t even that great of a kiss.”

 

Lay looked over at him, and could tell by the twisted expression on his face that the whole thing was eating him up inside. He turned back and reached for Suho’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “We’ll find him, and then you can apologise. Let him hit you if he needs to. From what Kris and Luhan have said, he’s been in love with Chanyeol for a long time. And it’s not like you guys did anything wrong,” Lay added. “When Kris told us about the fanservice directive, we all kissed and practiced holding hands.” He squeezed Suho’s again to make his point. 

 

Instead of being comforting, this simply brought a horrified look to Suho’s face. “All…?”

 

“It was weird,” Lay confessed. “I don’t really like any of them like that.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Several more minutes passed in silence. Suho’s discomfort was pressing on Lay like a physical thing. “So, Suho-ssi, do you have anyone you like?”

 

The look Suho shot him was nothing short of haunted. The laugh he gave was slightly hysterical. “Yes!” he squeaked. 

 

Lay waited to see if he would elabourate, and then sighed. “I think you’re kind of lucky, actually.” Changing the subject seemed safe. “Chanyeol’s very attractive. I don’t think I’d mind kissing him.”

 

Pressure on his hand and arm alerted Lay to two things: firstly, he’d forgotten to let go of Suho’s hand – not that he minded – and secondly, Suho had stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, letting Lay walk on without him until their joined hands stopped him. Lay looked back, trying to decipher the expression on his face. 

 

“So you’re… are you…” He jogged a few steps to catch up, and they kept walking, looking. “Do you like… guys, then?”

 

Suho – whose reaction to being caught kissing Chanyeol had been immediate denial – seemed to be having trouble with it. Afraid he was homophobic, Lay weighed his words carefully. 

 

“I like who I like,” he said finally. “Gender doesn’t really make a difference.” 

 

“I only like one person,” Suho offered, and then silenced himself with a strangled noise. “Sorry!”

 

Suho was _weird_ when they were one on one like this. Lay briefly wondered if he was always so hot-and-cold in his reactions, and then wondered what it would be like to live with that kind of inconsistency. 

 

Trying to keep the conversation going, Lay grasped at straws. “What’s her name then? Is she with S.M.?” 

 

Suho stared at him, clearly puzzled. “Who?”

 

 _You have got to be kidding me._ Lay sighed. “The girl you like.” The lightbulb flashed on then, as Lay reconsidered Suho’s words. _One **person.**_ “Or is it a guy?”

 

“Yes, he’s – he’s with S.M.”

 

“Anyone I know?” It was probably the most awkward conversation in the history of spoken languages. 

 

Suho was silent. When Lay glanced at him, his face seemed flushed, though with embarrassment or cold he couldn’t tell. 

 

Lay sighed again.

 

“You know him!” Suho said quickly. “It’s… oh, gods. This is awkward.” It was the least awkward thing Suho had said to him all night and it was a comment on the awkwardness of their conversation. “Lay, it’s you. I like you.” He wrenched his hand out of Lay’s grasp, and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. While Lay stared at him, slightly shocked, Suho refused to meet his eyes, staring resolutely in the other direction.

 

 _Suho likes… me. Okay. Huh. Do I like him? Not very much right now._ Objectively, however, Suho was damn good looking. He was generally a competent leader – not as good as Kris, but then no one except Kris himself could match his leadership skills. Lay admitted to himself that he might be a little bit biased. He was smart, and he was usually funny. This had been a bad night for them all.

 

“Chanyeol told me he would pretend I was Baekhyun while we practiced, and said I could pretend he was – you.”

 

Ah, the awkwardness was back. Lay’s old friend. Stiff, disjointed conversations at nine-thirty at night in the pouring snow while looking for missing people was definitely number one on his list of least favourite things to do. “I see,” he said, for lack of anything more constructive to add. “So Chanyeol likes Baekhyun?” 

 

Suho looked at him. 

 

 _He really is rather attractive,_ Lay thought. It wouldn’t be terrible. They could at least give it a try, and see how things went. With no serious feelings on either side, if it ended badly, it wouldn’t affect the team dynamic. Not like the mess with Chanyeol and Baekhyun was doing. 

 

But then again, the C&B mess was encouraging the two Exo teams to work in unison – as one, as they were always claiming to be. And it was drawing Lay and Suho closer together. Good things were coming of it after all. 

 

“Yes,” Suho said flatly, answering Lay’s question. 

 

“I see,” he said again. “I’ll speak honestly to you. I don’t know if I like you. I haven’t had a lot of time to consider it. But if you’d like, we can see where things go after we find Baekhyun.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Both of their phones started ringing at the same time. They answered in unison, and from Suho’s expression, Lay figured they had identical messages.

 

Baekhyun had been found unconscious beside the drainage canal.


	9. Tao

“He said, ‘a river.’” 

 

Kris’ voice was unamused. Tao wished like hell he’d gotten more out of Exo-K’s singer, before the call had abruptly ended, if only to get that expression of his duizhang’s face. “A river. He couldn’t have made the Han River, could he?”

 

Kris shook his head. “Not on foot like that. _Damn,_ I wish I had a map or something.”

 

Tao brightened. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he logged onto the internet, grateful that it worked wherever there was service instead of having to wait for wi-fi hotspots. Within seconds, he’d pulled up a map of the immediate area. The Jangcheul Drainage Canal was the only water nearby, with two foot-bridges spanning it. “He did go pretty far,” Tao said, and shared the image. Kris texted the others – Sehun and Luhan were the ones heading in the right direction to get there soonest. “We’ll find him,” Tao said, with more conviction than he felt. The snow hadn’t let up, and it was beginning to form little drifts on the sidewalk, piling on top of the older snow from a previous storm. 

 

What neither of them mentioned was the probability of finding him alive and well. In the snowy dark, with patches of ice concealed beneath an inch of snowfall… Accidents happened. Tao closed his eyes as he remembered the final thing he’d heard. _”Yaahhh!” **thud.** Bloop._ It could have been Baekhyun falling. It could have been the splash of his phone hitting the water. Whether or not Baekhyun had gone in after it…

 

They reached the canal and crossed a bridge. In the distance, Tao could make out two vaguely familiar forms and figured Luhan and Sehun were searching also. Something caught his eye, and he jogged forward. “Duizhang! Footprints!” They might not have been Baekhyun’s. 

 

When Kris drew level with him, they both saw something that chilled both their hearts. The prints in the snow slid, elongated – right over the edge of the small hill that bordered the canal. Tao peered over the side, and saw that someone had half-rolled, half-slid down over the sidewalk that ran alongside it – right into the water. 

 

Sehun’s voice carried over the water. “Tao! Kris! We found him, he’s here!”

 

They looked up and saw one of the two figures waving his hands and jumping. They were on the other side of the canal, by the other bridge. Both Kris and Tao broke into a run.

 

“We called the managers and an ambulance,” Luhan said. The emergency operator had told them not to move Baekhyun until paramedics arrived, for although he was breathing and clearly alive, there was no way of knowing what damage lay hidden beneath the surface. He was still soaking wet, although it was turning to ice even as it dripped off his jacket, and Sehun had taken his own coat off and covered his band-mate with it. It was little enough that they could do, and Luhan was sheltering him with his own. Tao didn’t think Sehun minded clinging to the Chinese singer, even despite the situation. 

 

“He must have slid into the water, and climbed out over here,” Kris said, shuffling back and forth as he tried to put together the clues they’d found. “He was conscious enough to get out of the canal, so I don’t think he hit his head too hard.” There was a massive bruise forming on his temple, however, and his left wrist was swollen and purple; broken, most likely, when he fell. 

 

Suho and Lay jogged up, hand in hand. Sehun did a double take that Tao found intensely amusing as the usually stoic boy’s mouth dropped open and he groped for Luhan’s arm blindly. Oblivious, Lay glanced around at the massed searchers and knelt down beside Baekhyun. “Has anyone called the others?”

 

“Manager-hyung promised to drive them to the hospital,” Kris said. 

 

“When did that happen?” Sehun pointed to Lay and Suho’s still-entwined fingers. 

 

“On the way over here,” Lay said, point-blank. 

 

“After all the trouble –” Luhan started, but Sehun pressed a hand over his mouth and leaned down to whisper. Tao was close enough to hear it. 

 

“Don’t worry about it, Lu, Lay’s the one Suho’s been gagging over since forever. Remember what they said back in the apartment, Suho was only kissing Chanyeol because of the fanservice.”

 

Luhan glared, but kept his further opinions to himself. The manager and the ambulance arrived at the same time. Sehun rode in the ambulance with Baekhyun while the rest piled into the van with the remaining members.


	10. Chanyeol 2

Chanyeol sat in the waiting room with the other members and both managers, his eyes fixed on the clock. One of the nurses had kindly come and reported back to them on Baekhyun’s progress – when he’d been seen, x-rayed, a cast put on his broken arm. She appeared in the doorway again and bowed. 

 

“Baekhyun-ssi is resting now,” she said. “Mild hypothermia was reported, but he is out of danger at this moment. If you’d like, in small groups, you can go and see him if you’re quiet.” 

 

Chanyeol stood up, with Suho, Kris, and the manager. The nurse smiled and lead them back to the room where Baekhyun was resting. A cast covered his left arm from his fingertips up past his elbow, and there was a butterfly bandage over the small cut on his temple. If not for the machines he was hooked up to that monitored his breathing and heart-rate, and the I.V. drip off to one side, he might have just been napping at home. Chanyeol pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, taking Baekhyun’s right hand in his own and curling his fingers around it. 

 

“I’m really sorry, Baekhyun,” he said softly. The others stayed long enough to reassure themselves he was going to be okay, and retreated. The next group came in silently, and stayed only a few minutes. Xiumin brought a black hat with a small bomb illustration on it. It was slightly damp and smelled of ramuné. 

 

“Baekhyun bought this for you,” he said softly. Chanyeol took it and let it rest in his lap, clinging to it despite the odour of ramuné clinging to it. Gradually the visitors trailed off. Chanyeol, left alone in the dim room with only the steady beeping of the monitor to keep him company, drifted off to sleep with his head resting on the edge of the narrow hospital bed and Baekhyun’s uninjured hand cradled in his own. 

 

It was the sound of Baekhyun’s voice that woke him. 

 

“Chan. Chanyeol, what are you doing here? Where am I?”

 

He jerked upright and nearly tumbled headlong off the uncomfortable chair. The clock on the wall proclaimed the time to be nine thirty in the morning. “Uwha?”

 

Baekhyun smiled grimly. “Good morning to you too.”

 

“Oh god. Baekhyun.” To his immense shame, tears welled up in his eyes. “I thought you were dead.”

 

Baekhyun was taken aback. “Are you – are you _crying?_ ”

 

“I’m so sorry! It really wasn’t – they said… I mean, you saw. But you don’t understand, it doesn’t mean anything. All of Exo-M has done it, it’s for the girls, I mean the fans. Service. Kris calls it bromance, skinship, fanservice. To make the girls excited. It was just practice, and I wished it was you because I really, really like you.” The words tumbled out nearly on top of themselves. Baekhyun blinked, wide-eyed. 

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Last night,” Chanyeol said. “What you saw. I don’t even like Suho, it was a crappy kiss and I wished it was you. Because I like you.” 

 

Baekhyun might have been made of stone for all the response he showed. The monitor betrayed him, however, and Chanyeol could hear the beeping increase as his heart sped up. After a long silence broken only by the beeps, Baekhyun sighed. “A misunderstanding,” he said dully. “Of course.” 

 

Chanyeol rose to his feet and tried to escape, but Baekhyun held fast to his hand. The hat tumbled to the floor. As swiftly as he could, Chanyeol rescued it; the cloud of ramuné-smell drifted up and made him smile despite the circumstances. “I really understand if you hate me now because of all this,” he started, but Baekhyun shook his head.

 

“I don’t hate you,” he said, vehemently despite the soft tones. He squeezed Chanyeol’s hand. “I was coming to tell you that I lo- I like you, too.” He frowned then. “What do you mean, all of Exo-M has done it?”

 

“Ehehehe… Er. According to Kris and Luhan and Tao, the managers told Kris and Suho that they want us to become familiar with the fanservice. Kris’ method of dealing with it was to make everyone kiss for five minutes. They’ve got a name for it that means something like ‘Kris’s Spectacularly Bad Idea,’ or something, but I guess it worked out for them. Suho didn’t really feel comfortable asking all of us at once like that.” He debated on whether to let Baekhyun know that it had been a role-play of sorts, that the whole time he’d been picturing Baekhyun beneath him and not his leader, and decided against it. _Better not too push too far yet,_ he thought.

 

“It was Kris’ Half Hour of Hell,” piped Luhan from the doorway. “Good morning Baekhyun! How are you feeling?”

 

Chanyeol resented the other member’s intrusion at that moment, because he wanted to get back to Baekhyun’s slip of ‘lo-like’ and find out what he was about to say, but then the rest of them were crowding around behind Sehun and Luhan, who were blocking the door. When they flooded in, Chanyeol relinquished his position beside the bed, limping and scowling – he had a crick in his neck and his back was stiff from sleeping hunched over the bed all night, and his ass was sore from sitting on the solid plastic chair, which had not been designed with comfort in mind. Baekhyun was smiling and laughing, and almost back to normal, and Chanyeol had to wonder how much of it was an act and how much was true. 

 

Kris chased them all out of the room, and he and Suho remained behind to talk to Baekhyun privately. Chanyeol was tempted to press his ear against the door, but Luhan and Sehun – who had apparently forgiven him for the previous night’s events – took him by the arms and manhandled him down to the cafeteria. It wasn’t until he smelled the food that he realised how hungry he was. The ramuné hat sat askew on his head, and gave off a bizarre sort of perfume. He wasn’t willing to part with the hat for any reason, though, and after a few minutes grew accustomed enough to it that it didn’t bother him. 

 

Sehun was another story. “Chanyeol, you’ve got to wash that hat,” he said halfway through the meal. “It’s totally rank.”

 

“I like it,” Chanyeol defended it. Before he could really get into it with the maknae, a giggling young girl about sixteen or seventeen approached them.

 

“Oh. My. God,” she said. “I’m really sorry to interrupt, but. My sister’s here, and she’s a really big fan. Could you guys sign this for her?” She held up a pad of paper and a pen, and they all obliged. When the rest of Exo walked in – sans Baekhyun, of course – her eyes nearly popped out of her head. It wasn’t long before she was extolling them all for signatures. “Make it out to Minhyeo, please,” she said politely.

 

“You think there’s really a sister?” Chen asked in an undertone, but then the girl’s parents arrived and settled the debate before it began.

 

“Lee Sun, please stop bothering these gentlemen while they’re trying to eat,” the mother said, and bowed apologetically. 

 

“Mom, this is Exo! Minhyeo’s favourite band, she’s always talked about them, you remember?”

 

The mother took a double-take and apparently seemed to remember _something,_ for her eyes widened. “Goodness, what are you all doing here? Are you well?”

 

“Our member Baekhyun broke his arm in a fall,” Suho explained. “We’re here for him.”

 

“Can I bring Minhyeo to his room, please? Please, mom?” Lee Sun turned her pleading face first on Suho, then her parents. “She’ll die, I just know she will, she’ll love it. He’s her favourite.”

 

The manager shrugged. “We can ask if he’s feeling well enough to receive visitors,” he decreed, and the mother had no choice but to accede. 

 

“And if _she’s_ feeling up to making the visit,” she said, and bowed again to each of them. “Thank you so much, gentlemen. You are very kind.” 

 

They all bowed back, and the manager went to ask Baekhyun about seeing Minhyeo. Although the room was small, all eleven of them crowded back into it when the manager said that Minhyeo’s visit would be allowed, briefly. 

 

Minhyeo, it turned out, was a thirteen year old cancer patient. Her sister explained that it was in remission but she needed to continue her check-ups, and she wore a wig because her hair had fallen out after chemo and hadn’t grown back. She screamed when she was lead into the room and saw all of Exo waiting for her. The manager, a sly man with a good heart, had slipped down to the gift shop and picked up a teddy bear for Baekhyun to hold when she arrived. He hugged her as best he was able, and while she was hyperventilating about _that,_ he offered the bear. Smiling widely, she took a picture with them all and departed. The mother bowed long and low. 

 

“It has been a very long time since she smiled like that,” she shared. “I’m very sorry that you were injured, Baekhyun-ssi, but I am very grateful to you for making her so happy.” She backed out of the room, still bowing. 

 

“That was sweet,” Luhan said. “I feel so bad for her.”

 

“You totally made her day, Baekhyun,” Tao added. “I’m glad we can be idols like this if it means bringing people such happiness.”

 

Kris stared long and hard at Baekhyun, and then began herding them all back out of the room. “And speaking of happiness, I think it’s time we gave Baekhyun and Chanyeol a few minutes to themselves for now,” he ordered. When they were gone, Chanyeol closed the door behind them and then turned to face Baekhyun. 

 

“It really was sweet,” he said, hovering by the exit and suddenly overcome by shyness. “So I was wondering… Do you really… I mean even…”

 

Baekhyun held his good arm out silently. “Just get over here and shut up. It’s alright now.”

 

“But you got hurt,” Chanyeol argued. It didn’t stop him from going and sitting on the bed, however. 

 

“And tomorrow you might get hit by a car.” Baekhyun pulled himself into a more comfortable position. The heart monitor sped up again. “So it was a misunderstanding. It was… not the greatest night, and definitely not one of my favourite memories, but it’s … it’s okay now.”

 

“You can’t mean that,” Chanyeol started, but Baekhyun leaned forward and kissed him, cutting off the words. His free hand came up behind Chanyeol’s head and stroked the sensitive spot at the back of his neck. Chanyeol shuddered, a quiet noise escaping him. It felt like electricity shot through him, lighting up his nerves with pleasure.

 

“It’s like a direct line to my dick when you do that,” he murmured. Baekhyun looked down, and sure enough, the evidence of how affected Chanyeol was by the kiss and light touch was obvious. Baekhyun stared for a second, and then broke away with a blush and a flustered cough. 

 

“If only I wasn’t confined to this bed,” he said, covering up his embarrassment with confidence and a sly smile. “I’ve been wanting to climb into your lap for ages.”

 

Chanyeol felt his pulse leap at the words, and was glad it wasn’t him hooked up to the machines. “So you love me,” he said musingly, testing out the words. Baekhyun didn’t deny it, but the pulse monitor leaped again. “I love this hat,” Chanyeol said, trying to defuse some of the tension. “Even if it does stink like Japanese soda pop.”

 

Baekhyun flushed brighter. “I thought you’d like it. How did it get covered in ramuné?”

 

“Some guy took a huge shock last night and broke a bottle over it,” Chanyeol said negligently. “And then he paid us all back by scaring the ever-loving shit out of everyone and falling into a river.” 

 

Instead of making another reply, Baekhyun leaned forward and restarted the kiss. His hand rested on Chanyeol’s shoulder at first, but his lips twitched into a smile as he moved his fingers back to the hairline and stroked with his nails. It tickled slightly, but it also put Chanyeol in mind of Baekhyun putting his long, slender fingers on other parts of his body as well. 

 

“We should stop,” he murmured into the kiss. “There’s no lock on that door.”

 

“That didn’t stop you last night with Suho,” Baekhyun argued. 

 

“I didn’t want to take Suho’s clothes off, though.”


	11. Baekhyun 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SEX.

Four weeks after the accident, Baekhyun’s cast came off. His arm was white and soft and weak, but the doctors gave him a physical therapist to work with to regain the strength in it. The rest of him was still feeling weak, as well; as he’d found out, wandering around in minus-ten degrees Celsius weather and falling into freezing canals usually resulted in pneumonia and he was only just recovering from it as well. 

 

Chanyeol was fairly ecstatic; they’d had four weeks of chaste kissing and teasing touches because Baekhyun was afraid of getting him sick as well, but it was truly driving them both crazy. The doctor proclaimed him over the worst of the pneumonia and his arm healed, and so, once again in good health, they’d decided that now was the time for getting to know one another. 

 

First, however, was the fanservice practice. Kris had had a long talk with Suho and the rest of Exo-K, and they’d all worked it out. As expected, it was mostly awkward, but it wasn’t disgusting. Chanyeol had understood the jealousy, however, when he saw Baekhyun kissing the other members.

 

“If you felt even half of what I’m feeling, then I’m never ever going to kiss anyone ever again,” he said later. Baekhyun laughed.

 

“Was that a marriage proposal?”

 

“I don’t know. _Would_ you marry me? We can leave SM, run away to America and get married, adopt two kids and live happily ever after. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

 

Baekhyun pretended to think about it. “No,” he declared. “ _This_ sounds like fun.” He pushed Chanyeol into their dorm, locked the door behind them, maneuvered him onto the couch and climbed into his lap. “Now that I can use both hands,” Baekhyun whispered. “I intend to.” He tangled one hand up in Chanyeol’s hair and used the other to stroke the skin just behind his ear. Chanyeol gave a gratifying shiver, gasping as the sensation went straight down. 

 

They hadn’t figured out yet, in their mostly-chaste explorations while Baekhyun was recuperating, whether or not Baekhyun had any places on his body that had a similar effect. He was looking forward now to finding out, and knew as Chanyeol dragged his hands up Baekhyun’s ribs, that the other man was just as eager. Baekhyun smiled into their kiss as Chanyeol’s hands twisted into his hair and then in a surprising move, he yanked Baekhyun’s head back. The tug on his hair was electrifying, and he gasped as his nerves lit up all along his body. 

 

“Found it,” Chanyeol said gleefully, and kissed a trail along Baekhyun’s jaw and down his throat to the hollow between his collarbones. While he sucked a mark into the tender skin there, Baekhyun found his hips pushing forward of their own volition and the pressure of his pants against his straining erection caused stars to burst behind his eyes. A helpless whimper crawled out of his throat, and Chanyeol chuckled in response. 

 

“You like that?” 

 

“Gods, Chanyeol, you know I do.” He squirmed, trying to free himself, and then came to the conclusion that distracting Chanyeol might work. One hand slid down the rapper’s chest and abs until it reached the stiff length at the crux of his legs. It was Chanyeol’s turn to throw his head back and moan, and Baekhyun hadn’t even gotten started. Moving his hands to Baekhyun’s hips, Chanyeol changed the rules again unexpectedly by suddenly pulling him forward even as he slid down so that their groins touched. The friction was incredible, and they both whined low in their throats. 

 

Music from the party going on across the hall swelled as someone opened a door. Chanyeol and Baekhyun froze, both waiting for a knock on their door. The footsteps and door-noises went next door to Sehun’s room instead, and they both chuckled in relief. 

 

“Baekhyun, I want to fuck you,” Chanyeol whispered. Baekhyun froze for a moment. They’d discussed it, and thought about it, and considered it – but this was the first time it was a possible reality. 

 

“Okay,” Baekhyun said finally. “Do you have…?” And Chanyeol, the creepy-crazy pervert that he was, merely reached between the cushions of the couch and withdrew ‘supplies.’ Baekhyun climbed off of his lap, bit his lip, and slowly dragged his shirt up over his head, teasing. Chanyeol let the lube fall to the wayside while he watched, slouching back with a leer as Baekhyun began dancing, feeling himself up. Very slowly, he unbuttoned his jeans, turned and wiggled his ass, and then dropped to his knees. Pushing Chanyeol’s thighs apart, they fumbled to unfasten Chanyeol’s pants and get them out of the way. Sinking to his knees, Baekhyun looked up the flat planes of Chanyeol’s stomach into his face. 

 

“Oh my god,” Chanyeol said, breathless with laughter and desire. “You have no idea how hot you look right now.”

 

Baekhyun gave a wicked grin and took Chanyeol’s erection in his hand. The rapper let his head fall back and relax as Baekhyun went to work, licking and sucking.

 

“Goddamn, you’re so good at that,” Chanyeol gasped.

 

Baekhyun pulled away and wiped his mouth. “I’ve been practicing,” he said. The expression on Chanyeol’s face promised murder. “Not like you think,” Baekhyun hastened to add. “Kris found a shop that sells…things. A few miles down the road. I may have bought one.”

 

As the implications of that statement settled through Chanyeol’s lust-hazed mind, his pupils dilated and his mouth fell open. “Are you saying…?”

 

“I’m saying I found out something interesting,” Baekhyun began, and suddenly leaned forward and sucked Chanyeol’s cock right down to the base, swallowing around him as the head hit the back of his throat. Chanyeol let out a shout muffled behind his hand, eyes wide as he stared down. Baekhyun remained where he was for a few moments and pulled away again. “I apparently have no gag reflex,” he finished. Sucking on just the tip, flicking his tongue out like he was licking an ice cream cone, Baekhyun listened with slow-coiling pleasure as the tone and pitch of Chanyeol’s moans changed and the tempo of his breathing picked up. Before too much longer, Chanyeol’s hand was back in his hair, pulling him away.

 

“Stop, stop, you have to stop. I’m going to come,” Chanyeol breathed, panting. “I still want to be inside you when it happens.”

 

The slight tug on his hair combined with the words – ones he might have laughed at in any other situation – nearly set Baekhyun on fire. He stood and shimmied out of his pants, dropping them carelessly on the floor. While he undressed, Chanyeol fished the lube out from between the couch cushions again and laid a condom packet near to hand. They were ready at the same time, and Baekhyun crawled into Chanyeol’s lap, kissing him. With canny awareness, Chanyeol used the distraction of pulling Baekhyun’s hair to disguise his intention. When one finger breached his ass unexpectedly, Baekhyun jumped and moaned. Whatever pain there might have been was lost in a haze of pleasure as Chanyeol sucked a mark into his neck. 

 

After that, he lost track of exactly what happened. Chanyeol tore open the condom and slid it down, Baekhyun arranged himself across Chanyeol’s hips. It wasn’t until he sank down and felt the wide head of Chanyeol’s cock enter him that it really hit him. They were _fucking._

 

The expression on Chanyeol’s face made Baekhyun laugh. He might have been seeing heaven, it was so blissed out. For Baekhyun, it was a little painful, but not spectacular. He wiggled his hips to remind the other singer that he was still there and shivered at the sensation. A choked-off whine slipped out of Chanyeol’s mouth and Baekhyun flashed a grin. Jokes could be made forever about being the ‘girl’ in the relationship just because he was ‘catching’ but he knew right then and there that it was he who had all the power. He rotated again just to prove it to himself and watched with undisguised pleasure as Chanyeol twitched and moaned. 

 

“Baekhyun, please don’t do that!” 

 

“Does it hurt?”

 

“In a _way._ ”

 

Lifting himself up until he was nearly free of Chanyeol’s body, Baekhyun let his weight drop. Chanyeol’s arms came around his shoulders, pressing his cock between their stomachs. The added friction made him moan. After a few more experimental thrusts they found a rhythm; and on one particular thrust Chanyeol angled his hips in such a way that suddenly Baekhyun’s vision whited out. Pleasure rocketed through him again and again as Chanyeol kept going and then suddenly he was cresting, come spilling out between them in bursts as Baekhyun’s orgasm washed over him. Chanyeol, smug, followed after him. 

 

From the next room, they heard Sehun’s voice rising to a volume that penetrated the walls like paper, and their eyes met in bewildered amusement.


	12. OMAKE: Sehun 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SEX.

Sehun threw back another shot of illegally obtained vodka. Listening to the free porn show going on next door to his dorm was one thing, as long as he didn’t think too hard about _who_ was giving the inadvertent aural display, but doing it alone was just _depressing._ He was horny and alone and depressed, and he’d heard things about people who drank alone, but Luhan was in another room hanging out with Lay and the others. When Sehun left the impromptu party they’d been playing a game Kris brought back from Canada called “Twister” in which a pointer was spun on a board corresponding to colours and body parts. One then arranged one’s body on the provided mat and the first to all lost. It looked like fun, but Sehun took one look at it, imagined playing with Luhan, and declined. 

 

There was no way he would be able to handle contorting himself around a plastic mat with Luhan’s body twisting beside him and not… do something about it. 

 

He felt incredibly young. He was no stranger to porn or his own hand – he was a teenage boy after all – but being a teenaged boy, there was only so much he could endure. Twister was outside his limits. 

 

And so thinking about how Luhan would look with his back arched over the mat, alone in his room, he’d considered starting a little something, and then the Baekhyun/Chanyeol Porn Show started. That was when he broke out the vodka. He’d been drinking it out of a shot glass – also brought back by Kris, it said Vancouver, Canada along one side – but he was considering putting the glass in the sink and just drinking straight from the bottle. Settling the glass on the table, he picked up the bottle and slid down so he was comfortable. He was already worked up, but he liked to tease himself, and started by brushing his fingers along his own throat. 

 

He’d worked his way down to his abs and was breathing hard when the door opened. 

 

 _I’m sure I locked that._

 

Despite being caught drinking and jerking off, that was the only thing that made its way through his alcohol-soaked brain. Then Luhan bounced into view and Sehun wanted to sink into the floor and die. 

 

“Sehunnie, are you _drinking?_ ” 

 

“Are you stupid?” It was like the filter between his brain and his mouth had taken a vacation without advance notice. Sehun was shocked at himself, but the words kept rolling. “Of course I’m drinking. I was alone and unhappy and I can’t deal with any of this anymore.” He gestured at the wall, where the noises from Chanyeol and Baekhyun continued unabated, but Luhan appeared to take no notice of anything except the bottle in Sehun’s hand. 

 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I would have come with you, if you didn’t want to be alone. What if something happened? How do you think we’d feel if you passed out drunk and died?” Luhan sat beside him and took the bottle. Sehun tried to hold onto it but failed. Then Luhan tipped it back and took a huge swig. Sehun stared in open-mouthed shock. “What,” Luhan asked. “You think Chinese boys can’t drink?”

 

“It was more of a question of _why_ are you drinking? That’s mine, by the way. Thanks.” Sehun took the bottle back with more success than he’d had in preventing its theft in the first place. Already it was half-gone. The world was taking on a slightly fuzzy-at-the-edges look, and suddenly Sehun was feeling pretty good about everything. “Luhan,” he said, his voice urgent. “In case I pass out drunk and die, you need to know something really important.”

 

Luhan looked up at him, all wide-eyed innocence. Sehun leaned forward and kissed him once, chastely, on the lips.

 

“I love you,” he said, point blank. 

 

When Luhan refused to respond and in fact failed to react in any way at all, Sehun groaned and leaned back. “Okay, please kill me. I’m sorry. I’ll just. In here.” He climbed off the couch with difficulty and found that the floor listed and pitched beneath his feet. Swaying unsteadily, he somehow got into the bedroom. “Vodka,” he said to the bottle in his hand, “you are my one true friend.” He turned the thumb-latch lock on the bedroom door but failed to push it shut, and flopped face first onto the bed. Then, concerned about his Friend-Vodka, he rolled onto his back. He was trying to coordinate his eyes with his hand to his mouth in order to keep drinking when the door opened. “Do you have magic door opening powers?” Sehun whined. “Or do all doors love you so much they open for you whether or not they’re locked?”

 

“No,” Luhan said. “Locked doors will stop me if you actually close them.”

 

“Oh.” Sehun considered this slowly. Luhan stood uncertainly in the doorway. “Then go back out so I can close it and you can try again.”

 

“Not a chance in hell.” Luhan closed the space between them in three strides, crawling up onto the bed and across Sehun’s prone body. “Give me the bottle,” he demanded, settling himself over Sehun’s hips. Sehun, too overwhelmed with _Luhan is sitting on me; Luhan is in my bed_ to argue, silently handed Friend-Vodka over. Luhan chugged it, leaving just a few fingers-worth in the bottom, and set it aside. “If you’re going to make announcements like that, you shouldn’t run away,” he admonished, waggling his finger in Sehun’s face. To Sehun it appeared that he had three fingers and he couldn’t decide which one to focus on. 

 

“I’m sorry?”

 

“You should be. And so should I. Actually, if I’m going to debauch you I should probably have more to drink.”

 

Sehun paused. “To what?”

 

“That’s what you want, right?”

 

“I guess. I don’t know that word.”

 

Luhan leaned back, which put his weight right onto Sehun’s straining hard-on. The maknae whimpered involuntarily and thrust his hips up, his brain whiting out at _Luhan’s **ass**_. “You’re not making a very good case for me, Sehunnie.”

 

“Just… tell me what it means!” 

 

“Debauch is ravage. Sin. Make love to.” Luhan wiggled his hips, drawing another whine out of Sehun’s throat. “Deflower. _Fuck._ Do you want that?”

 

Sehun put his hands on Luhan’s knees and pushed them up the inside of his thighs. Luhan’s eyes closed and his lips curved up. “ _Yes,_ ” Sehun whispered. His fingertips found Luhan’s hips and he rotated them to the outside of Luhan’s thighs, unsure of his welcome anywhere else. 

 

“You can touch me,” Luhan said, totally unconcerned. “Don’t be shy _now._ ”

 

Sehun curled his fingers and raked his fingernails down Luhan’s jean-clad thighs, drawing a quiet moan and a shiver out of the older singer. Then he slid them back up the inside. This time when he reached the zipper, he tentatively felt it. Luhan’s mouth dropped open and his head fell back.

 

“A little harder, Maknae. I won’t break.” 

 

With more confidence, Sehun felt the outline of his erection through the denim. Luhan’s breath was coming quicker now, and he leaned back so that his weight was on his hands, braced against Sehun’s knees. His hips he wiggled down again, grinding against Sehun’s. “Mm, I’ve dreamed of this,” he confessed. Sehun glanced up, surprised. 

 

“Really?” 

 

“You didn’t exactly make it a secret how you felt. Everyone knows. And I’ll be honest,” he added, the alcohol clearly starting to loosen his tongue, “you’re fucking hot, and it’s pretty much everyone’s dream-come-true to have a super-sexy, super talented guy hanging on their every move. It was such a turn-on. But you’re so young.”

 

Sehun withdrew his hands, somewhat offended. “It’s only four years.”

 

Luhan adjusted his weight and opened Sehun’s jeans, reaching inside. His mouth kept moving, but Sehun couldn’t hear anything over the sudden rush of blood pounding through his ears as Luhan took him in hand and for the first time ever, he felt someone else touching him intimately. It was bliss. Lightning crackled through his veins, setting him on fire. With Luhan too far away to hold, his hands came up and twisted into the blanket by his head, to give himself something to cling to. “Ohgod!”

 

“Good?”

 

“Oh,” Sehun said. It was pretty much the only word he could remember. “Oh!”

 

“It gets better. So as I was saying,” Luhan said, as blasé as if he were discussing the weather even as he shoved Sehun’s jeans down to his knees and worked his boxer shorts down after them, “You’re hot and it’s really flattering to have someone like you chasing after me. So I’ve wanted to do this to you pretty much from the beginning, but you were way too young back then. And now, I still think you’re too young, but I’m tired of waiting. You’re always going to be too young if I don’t do something _now,_ and if I don’t, you might get tired of waiting and move on to someone else.” He wrapped long fingers around the base of Sehun’s length, stroked it once to earn a strangled noise, and then lowered his mouth to breathe gently on the head.

 

Sehun, already worked up beyond anything he’d ever felt before, thought it was going to kill him. He couldn’t get enough air, and his fingers scrabbled in the coverlet beneath him as he struggled to find something solid to keep himself from blowing into pieces. “Lu- Lu-ha- _ah_ -oh! _Omygod!_ Oh please!” He didn’t even know what he was begging for. An end. A release. Anything. More. His hips worked while Luhan took his time in kissing and blowing and nipping the soft, sensitive skin. When Luhan took him fully into his mouth, Sehun thought he might have screamed. He didn’t know anymore. Wet, flaming heat enveloped him, and then Luhan used his _tongue_ in ways tongues had never been used before – Sehun was never going to be able to look at Luhan’s mouth again without getting an erection, he could already tell – he was practically vibrating and the sensations just kept growing and getting sharper and bigger and _better._

 

Luhan hummed something vaguely familiar. It sounded like “Mama” and that was all Sehun had time for before the world ended. White-hot pleasure blanketed him as he shattered in pure bliss.

 

When he came back to awareness, Luhan was cradling his head and crooning softly in Chinese. As he listened he realised he could almost understand it. “Come on back, baby, I’m sorry, was it too fast? Too much? Just open your eyes, it’s okay now. I love you too, by the way. Come on baby, come back to me.”

 

“Haven’t gone anywhere,” Sehun mumbled. His body felt numb and incomplete, and his nerves tingled. Luhan’s hold tightened briefly, and then he kissed him. 

 

“You kinda scared me for a minute. I’ve never had anyone pass out after sex before.”

 

Jealousy flared green and intense inside Sehun’s heart. “Who have you had sex with before?”

 

“Just myself, but it’s never been that good.”

 

Sehun giggled. Then he remembered and became solicitous. “Do you want me to finish you off?”

 

“No need. I came when you did. You come beautifully, you know.” 

 

Sehun flushed. It deepened as he realised he could feel Luhan all up and down his body; there was an awful lot of skin-to-skin contact going on. It stirred him again, less powerfully than before. He arched into Luhan’s body, and the older singer laughed. 

 

“Again?”

 

“This time I want to make you come,” Sehun said, and rolled them so that he was straddling Luhan. “How do I do it?”

 

Luhan’s eyes were half-lidded, his lips parted as his breath came faster. “However you want.”

 

“Mm,” Sehun said, and kissed him. “Where are my clothes?”

 

Luhan raised an arm and waved negligently. “Somewhere over there.”

 

It was good enough. That they were both already naked was a boon. Sehun kissed his way down the column of Luhan’s throat, using one hand to brace himself so as to not crush the smaller man. His free hand he used to feel the skin and muscles, delighting in the way Luhan flinched and twitched almost imperceptibly as the feather-light touches tickled him. Luhan released a quiet sigh when Sehun’s thumb brushed his nipple by accident. “Does that feel good?” He flicked it again, deliberately, and watched, fascinated, as it pebbled into hardness. 

 

“Mm, oh yes,” Luhan breathed. Beneath his stomach, Sehun could feel Luhan hardening again. Desire surged through him as he realised that _he_ was doing that to Luhan. It was a heady feeling, and one he knew would keep him warmer during the lonely nights when Exo-M was in China than the memory of his own spectacular orgasm. Sehun lowered his head and pressed his lips to the other side of Luhan’s chest, flicking his tongue out hesitantly to taste the sweaty skin. Luhan sighed again, a pleasant, drifty sound. Feeling mischievous, Sehun closed his teeth gently around the nub, delighted when Luhan jumped and moaned. 

 

Recalling the aborted handjob he’d attempted earlier, Sehun tried to distract him from what he was doing by sucking a mark into Luhan’s pecs, and alternately licking and blowing on his nipples. When his questing hand found Luhan’s half-revived erection, he remembered the advice from before and deliberately traced a gentle, soft line from base to head. Luhan twitched and whined. 

 

“I’m not going to break,” Luhan gasped. 

 

“It’s more fun this way,” Sehun informed him, and wriggled down so that he could see what he was doing. He’d seen porn before, but none of it compared to the sight of Luhan, open and trusting and sprawled across his bed. Luhan obliging spread his legs so Sehun could make himself comfortable, and the maknae responded by lowering his head and licking him from base to tip, listening carefully as the timbre of Luhan’s voice changed with each centimetre gained. Luhan shivered when Sehun’s tongue reached the glans, and – remembering how it felt when he touched himself there – Sehun paid special attention to it, kissing and licking and even sucking once before changing the angle. He pressed a kiss to the very tip of Luhan’s erection and listened to him whine. 

 

Flicking his tongue out, Sehun pulled back and made a face at the salty, bitter taste. It was something he could get used to, however, especially for Luhan. With absolutely no idea what he was doing, Sehun found himself reluctant to take Luhan into his mouth. For one, he was afraid it wouldn’t fit. With one hand, he stroked the shaft alternating between circular motions with the tips of his fingers and an up-and-down slide. Luhan was breathing hard, a moan or a whimper slipping out with every exhalation. “Please, Sehun,” he breathed. “Stop teasing me like this. I need more.”

 

Remembering a pornographic movie he’d seen once, Sehun pushed his hand a little lower and stroked Luhan’s sac. It felt heavy and wonderful in his hands, and the motion was pleasurable to Luhan if his reaction – an immediate up-thrust in his hips and a loud shout – was any indication. “May I?” Sehun asked, still recalling the film. 

 

“Do whatever you want,” Luhan gasped, half in Chinese. The alcohol Sehun had consumed made it perfectly intelligible. 

 

Sehun put his mouth down and took each side in, coating them with his tongue before blowing gently and alternating between cool and hot air. Luhan was writhing and incoherent beneath him. Taking a deep breath, Sehun pressed the pad of one finger against the ring of muscle nestled between the two rounded halves of Luhan’s ass. He didn’t quite press in; he was aware that for penetration he’d need lubrication or he’d cause pain, but as Luhan was attaining a new pitch and volume with every movement, he didn’t think the Chinese singer would object to what he was doing. With his other hand, he returned to stroking Luhan’s cock and paid special attention to the head, while the first hand continued his exploration of Luhan’s intimate zones. 

 

“Oh! Seh- Sehun! Oh please oh please please, Sehun, fuck me! _Fuck me!_ Ngh!” 

 

“Can’t,” Sehun murmured, certain Luhan wouldn’t hear him over the sound of his own moaning. He did press the very tip of his finger inside, timing it so that it coincided with his mouth closing over the tip. With a wordless shout, Luhan climaxed into his mouth, trembling and wailing as he spurted his pleasure. Sehun swallowed what he could, aware that some of it was trailing down his chin and probably elsewhere. He felt like a porn star. 

 

Waiting while the aftershocks of his orgasm finished rocking through Luhan, Sehun reached between his own legs, wondering if Luhan would finish him in turn or if he’d prefer a sort of show. When Luhan recovered enough to notice, he pulled Sehun’s hands away from himself. 

 

“I’ll do that.” A wicked gleam lit his eyes. With his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, Sehun thought he’d never looked sexier. “Do you have lube?”

 

Sehun shook his head. “No.”

 

“What do you use – never mind, I’ve got some. I could fuck a boyscout, I’m always prepared,” he boasted, and rolled off the bed to root around in his pockets. Sehun was shocked to the depths of his soul.

 

“Do you always carry lube in your pocket?”

 

Luhan brandished the small tube, a wicked grin stretching his lips. “Only when I come to see you.”

 

As the implications of this statement settled in, Sehun felt his mouth drop open. “You mean… every time – bubble tea dates! You’ve had that in your – you!” 

 

“Only for the past six months or so,” Luhan hastened to add. 

 

 _So,_ Sehun thought, _since just after my eighteenth birthday._

 

“It’s not like I _expected_ anything, but Kris has a saying: It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. By the way,” Luhan said, climbing back onto the bed and pushing Sehun down on it. “I’m not going to fuck you. For one, I have no condoms and I don’t care if we’re both clean, it’s not a safe habit. And secondly, I won’t have our first time in a dorm with everyone less than fifty feet away, while we’re both drunk.”

 

“Then what…?”

 

Luhan’s wicked grin made a comeback. “Have you ever found your prostate?” 

 

Breathless with the implications, Sehun shook his head. “Wrong angle,” he gasped, unable to get any strength behind the words. He watched in petrified silence as Luhan coated his fingers liberally, and then unceremoniously pushed one inside him. Sehun laid back and tried to relax, cataloguing the feeling. It wasn’t particularly painful, but neither was it overwhelming. It felt a little strange, if he were being honest, and for a moment he was afraid he would be the exception to the rule, that he might be able to feel pleasure from penetration. 

 

Then Luhan’s questing fingers touched something inside him that set fireworks off inside his head. He definitely screamed. The orgasm was instantaneous, and he was coming so hard he curled off the bed with it. He remained conscious and aware, however, and had just enough presence of mind to be mortified when someone knocked on the bedroom door. 

 

“Should we be calling the cops? It sounds like you’re killing each other in there.” 

 

Luhan called out in Chinese, clearly recognising the voice. Sehun covered his face with his pillow and wished a long, drawn-out and painful death on whoever was outside.


	13. OMAKE: Baekhyun 5

“Six whole months, hm?”

 

“Down to the day. The hour, even. That’s actually kind of creepy,” Baekhyun said. Sehun hid his smile behind his hand while Baekhyun stabbed at the bottom of his glass with his straw. The sun was going down over a warm June night, and the traffic was light. “Do you think we’ll see Exo-M soon? I know it’s got to be hard when your boyfriend lives in another country.”

 

“As opposed to the same dorm, I know. I hear you guys every night.”

 

Baekhyun stared flatly at him. Sehun sighed.

 

“I can only hope we’ll see each other soon. He’s promised something big for our anniversary, but big for Luhan might just mean a machine that makes bubble-tea at home.”

 

“Like you’d complain.” 

 

It was Sehun’s turn to fidget with his straw. Baekhyun caught him swirling his tea around in the cup nervously, and cleared his throat. 

 

“Why are you so nervous all of a sudden?”

 

“I wrote him a letter,” Sehun declared, seemingly out of nowhere. “I told him I want us to. To.” He paused. 

 

Baekhyun lifted an eyebrow and waited for him to go on. When the silence seemed permanent, he filled it with some suggestions. “Run away to America? Adopt two kids and a dog? Champion gay marriage in China? Go flower picking in Tibet? Change a tire on a 2000 Chevy import –”

 

“Fuck!” 

 

Baekhyun was startled into silence. “What?”

 

“I want us to fuck and I told him.”

 

He tried. He tried so very hard, he really did, not to laugh. He bit his lip, and averted his eyes. It burst out in a quick snort. He covered his mouth. His stomach twitched. It poured out of him in waves, breaking like a river over a dam and left him trembling and weak with his head on the table as he laughed helplessly. He pushed the words out between fits of giggling. “You’re telling me. That you’ve been in a loving, committed relationship for six months. At nineteen years old. And you haven’t gone all the way with your boyfriend?”

 

Sehun’s face was lobster-red. “I don’t see what the big deal is,” he muttered. “It’s a big step.”

 

“It’s not marriage! Chanyeol proposed to me the first night, _and_ we fucked on the couch right afterwards!”

 

“Luhan is a gentleman!” Sehun defended his love to the very last. Then he paused and reviewed the previous statement in his head. Scandalised, he gasped, “You fucked on that couch!” Baekhyun, who nearly had himself under control, lost it all over again and slipped off the bench under the table. A lilting voice chimed up from behind them.

 

“ _Nihao!_ ”

 

Baekhyun howled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone catch the mangled Titanic reference in the omake chapter? 
> 
> I had to stop writing the BaekYeol scene and move on to the HunHan omake chapter. It was a lot easier, for some reason. And I haven't written 'lemons' or smut or anything like this in a very long time, so I feel dreadfully out of practice. Comments are wonderful things!
> 
> So yeah, this. Meant to be like one or two chapters total. Turned into an eleven chapter beast with two omake chapters because of Hurricane Sandy (Sandy, Sandy, neobakken anboyeo Babe I’m Loving You Babe~ ... Except we weren't loving it, we hated it. Cabin fever OTL) and being stuck inside the house all weekend and into Monday. 
> 
> Oh, and I'm sorry that the HunHan omake chapter was longer than the BaekYeol chapter. For some reason it really flowed very smoothly, as opposed to BaekYeol which fought tooth and nail. 
> 
> PS, Geographic errors are totally my own. I have to go to a library in order to get online, and with the hurricane, I haven't left the house in three days. The Jangcheul Drainage Canal is totally fictional. XD; (because I couldn't get online, I couldn't find out whether or not Seoul sits ON the Han river - with bridges, i'm thinking of a canal in a local neighbourhood where I live, and also Tokushima, Shikoku, Japan; bridges featured heavily in this when I was originally thinking it up - or if it's just near it.) I'm not even sure if Jangcheul is an 'official' sounding Korean word, since I made it up. Same with Minhyeo and Sun Lee. I couldn't get online to look up Korean names for females, and when I tried to think of some on my own, the only things that came to mind were Amber from f(x) and Tiffany and Sunny from SNSD. Sunny -> Sun Lee. I think I saw the name Minhyeo in something Nu'est related.


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